Volvo believes its 'Drive Me' project is far more advanced than other autonomous driving technologies.

Unlike rivals such as Audi or Mercedes-Benz that say self-driving cars are not ready for urban environments, Volvo says its system can handle "every aspect of driving in autonomous mode", and that the system is viable for production.

Even so, Volvo says it will restrict its trial to selected roads "without oncoming traffic, cyclists and pedestrians".

Volvo uses a combination of radars, lasers and cameras to examine a vehicle's surroundings before directing its movements. A new trifocal camera, with wide-angle, normal and long-distance lenses on the front of the car can detect hazards at most distances.

Special 3D mapping features information not morally stored in GPS systems, including the specific curvature of roads, the number of lanes on a given road and the geometry of furniture such as guard rails, tunnels and signs.

Volvo believes its 'Drive Me' project is far more advanced than other autonomous driving technologies.

The system may also not function in exceptional weather conditions or other circumstances that require drivers to take over.

The company's technical specialist, Dr Erik Coelingh, says the autonomous cars must be perfected before going on sale.

"Making this complex system 99 per cent reliable is not good enough," he says.

"You need to get much closer to 100 per cent before you can let self-driving cars mix with other road users in real-life traffic."

Volvo has trained the system to behave as a cautious and experienced driver might, though it has faster reactions in emergency circumstances.

But Coelingh says cars are only one piece in a puzzle that requires cooperation from government and society before self-driving vehicles become commonplace.

"Developing a complete technological solution for self-driving cars is a major step," he says.

"Once the public pilot is up and running, it will provide us with valuable knowledge about implementing self-driving cars in the traffic environment, and help us explore how they can contribute to sustainable mobility.

"Our smart vehicles are a key part of the solution, but a broad societal approach is vital to offer sustainable personal mobility in the future."